UFCW Canada and allies welcome Metro’s commitment to phase out toxic BPA and BPS receipts

Toronto – September 9, 2021 – Following calls from UFCW Canada and advocacy partners to Ditch Toxic Receipts, Metro Inc. has made a public commitment toend the use of paper receipts coated with toxic bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) in all Metro food and pharmacy banners.

“UFCW Canada commends Metro for showing leadership on this issue and setting an example for other retailers to follow,” says UFCW Canada National President Paul Meinema. “Doing everything possible to better protect UFCW Canada members and all workers from environmental risks – like BPA and BPS – must be the top priority for industry, government, and all stakeholders.”

In 2019, UFCW Canada, working alongside Environmental Defence, Breast Cancer Action Quebec, and the Mind the Store campaign, launched a public call-to-action urging Canada’s largest food retailers to ditch toxic receipts coated with BPA and BPS. Studies have shown that these chemicals can disrupt cells and organisms in the body, causing cancerous tumours, birth defects, and other developmental disorders.

To date, Loblaw, Metro, and Costco Canada have responded to our calls for action and have honoured the request of thousands of workers and consumers who wrote letters to the grocery chains asking for immediate action on this issue. The UFCW Canada National Council Workplace Rights Committee has been instrumental in advancing the Ditch Toxic Receipts campaign, and UFCW Canada health and safety activists – including Mary Shaw from Locals 175 & 633 – have played a key role in raising this issue and building support thus far.  

With their decisions to phase out BPA and BPS on receipts, Loblaw, Metro, and Costco have shown that the retail sector can readily step up and take the measures needed to protect workers and the public from hazardous chemicals, even in the absence of government action. UFCW Canada and our advocacy allies are now renewing our call to Sobeys and Walmart Canada to follow the lead of other major grocery chains and commit to removing bisphenol-coated receipts by the end of the year.

You can add your voice to this important campaign by signing UFCW’s petition urging Sobeys and Walmart to better protect workers and customers by ditching toxic receipts. Help protect cashiers, customers, and the environment by adding your voice today.